New Rules Imposed on Internet Video Content

Danwei translates new regulations covering Internet video content recently issued by the State Administration on Radio, Film and Television:

In a notice issued on March 30, the Administration emphasized its concern over vulgarity and listed various types of content that online video hosts should filter from their sites.

The 21 types of content that is banned include:

* Distortions of Chinese culture, Chinese history, and historical facts; distortions of the history of other countries, and disrespect to human civilization and the culture and customes of other countries;
* Disparaging or mocking depictions of revolutionary leaders, heroes, important historical figures, and major domestic and foreign literary works and their main characters;
* Disparaging depictions of the PLA, people’s armed police, the PSB, or the judiciary; depictions of torture of prisoners or of the use of torture to extract confessions from criminals or suspects;
[…]
* Promotion of a negative or decadent outlook, world view, or value system, or deliberate exaggeration of the ignorance and backwardness of ethnic groups or social ills.

The Notice also imposes the same approval process on content distributed online that is required for television.